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Baseline Monitoring: Ten sites are monitored on a monthly basis. Data, site descriptions and explanations of parameters are available here.
Hot Spot: Each month a number of different sites are monitored based on known or suspected problems. Sites are located widely through the watershed. Click here for the data and to read monthly reports on water quality.
Non-Point Source Assessment: Through the Find It and Fix It program, we are able to monitor a number of non-point source pollutants in the watershed. The data we've collected are available here.
MA Water Quality Standards: This table provides legal limits for each parameter as defined by Massachusetts.
Other Programs and Reports: Through the years we've generated a number of reports on water quality issues, available here.
Other Research: Links to data and reports generated by students or other agencies and organizations.
Baseline Data:
Mystic River Baseline Index: A summary of water quality from 2001-2007.
Below are data collected by MyRWA’s baseline monitoring program.
Volunteers collect water samples every month at ten sites throughout the watershed
(see table below for sampling locations). Data are compiled in Excel spreadsheets and
summarized by year. Only data that has passed quality assurance requirements appears here.
Each file contains multiple worksheets, one for each parameter: fecal coliform or E. coli., total
suspended solids, nitrate + nitrite, total phosphorus, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, water color, and water odor. Please
contact marybeth@mysticriver.org with any questions or comments.
You can view the dates of upcoming 2008 water sampling events on the calendar page.
| Site ID |
Description |
| ABR049 |
Aberjona River at Salem St., Woburn, MA |
| ABR028 |
Aberjona River at Washington St., Winchester, MA |
| ABR006 |
Aberjona River at USGS, on Mystic Valley Parkway across from Mystic Ave., Winchester, MA. |
| UPL001 |
Upper Mystic Lake, at the Mystic Lakes Dam (by Medford Boat Club off of Mystic Valley Parkway), Medford, MA.
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| MYR071 |
Mystic River at High St., outlet from Lower Mystic Lake, Medford, MA.
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| MIB001 |
Mill Brook at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, upstream of weir, Arlington, MA. |
| WIB001 |
Winn’s Brook at Little Pond, on Brighton St., Belmont, MA.
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| ALB006 |
Alewife Brook at Broadway, Somerville, MA.
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| MEB001 |
Meetinghouse Brook, outlet into Mystic River just downstream of Winthrop St. bridge, Medford, MA.
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| MAR036 |
Malden River at Medford St., Malden, MA.
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Hot Spot Data:
Below are links, by year, to data collected
by MyRWA's Hot Spot monitoring program.
Non-Point Source Assessment
Please view this information on our "Find It Fix It" Page
MA Water Quality Standards
Massachusetts Class B Surface Water
Quality Standards (314 CMR 4.05).
Please use this as a reference to the MMN water quality data.
| Parameter |
Criteria |
| Dissolved Oxygen |
Shall not
be less than 5.0 mg/l unless background conditions are lower,
levels shall not be lowered below 60% saturation due to discharge |
| Temperature |
Shall not
exceed 28.30C and the rise due to discharge shall not exceed
2.80C |
| pH |
Shall be
in the range of 6.5 through 8.3 standard units and not more
than 0.5 standard units outside the background range. |
| Fecal Coliform
Bacteria |
Shall not
exceed a geometric mean of 200 organisms per 100 ml, nor shall
10% of the samples exceed 400 per 100 ml. Please note that as of January 1 2007, these standards have been replaced by the standards for E. coli and Enteroccocus listed below. |
| E. coli |
Shall not exceed a geometric mean
of 126 organisms per 100 ml. |
| Enteroccocus |
Shall not exceed a geometric mean of 33 organisms per 100 ml. |
| Solids |
These waters
shall be free from floating, suspended and settlable solids
in concentrations and combinations that would impair any use
assigned with this Class, that would cause aesthetically objectionable
conditions, or that would impair the benthic biota or degrade
the chemical composition of the bottom. |
| Color and Turbidity |
These waters
shall be free from color and turbidity in concentrations or
combinations that are aesthetically objectionable or would
impair any use assigned to this class. |
| Oil and Grease |
These waters
shall be free from oil, grease, and petrochemicals that produce
a visible film on the surface of the water, impart an oily
taste to the water or an oily or other undesirable taste to
the other portions of aquatic life, coat the banks or bottom
of the water course, or are deleterious or become toxic to
aquatic life. |
| Taste and Odor |
None in such
concentrations or combinations that are aesthetically objectionable,
that would impair any use assigned to this Class, or that
would cause tainting or undesirable flavors in the edible
portions of aquatic life. |
Other Programs and Reports
Shoreline Surveys
- Aberjona Shoreline Survey 2001-2002, published August 2006
- Lower
Mystic River and Tributaries, May 27, 2003
- Lower
Mystic River, Chelsea River, Mill Creek & Little Mystic Channel,
June 24, 2003, July 22, 2003, & August 26, 2003
- Centerline
Survey of Island End, Mystic and Malden Rivers, October
28, 2003
- Alewife Brook/Little River Stream
Team Shoreline Survey and Action Plan, 10/16/2000. Read
a summary, or download
the whole report (2MB PDF document).
- 1997
shoreline surveys for
Malden River, Mystic River, and Alewife Creek, done by Friends
of the Mystic River, Alewife Mystic RA, and the Massachusetts
Adopt Your Watershed program.
- Fresh
Pond shoreline survey
Invasives
Plant Reports:
Other Research
Federal
Other
- Brigham Young University's research
on Woburn
Hydrogeology includes USGS Plates, complete NUS Report,
and well logs.
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